Arcane Chef - Slice of Life x Adventure LitRPG

Since we had some time to kill before we could go back to the lantern shop, and since we’d decided to detour past the kitchen on our way back to the inn, we stopped by one of the many markets in the city to pick up supplies for cooking. Liane broke off to find Jen and Hari, letting them know the plan.

It would be nice to cook something without having to hide it. I still had some meat on me—well, besides the Galvonsons, of course—but I had no idea where to even begin with preparing those. What I did know was that at some point, we’d need to strip the corpses of valuable items, because even their feathers sold for a decent bit of coin. Then there were their beaks and claws, sought after by crafters.

The market we came to wasn’t large. It seemed to be catered more towards the locals and was located between where the scholar’s section ended and the merchant’s section began. There were several stalls selling already prepared food, but there were also stores selling baked goods, fruit, vegetables, meat, and, to my delight, fish.

When I made my way to the fish stall, I was a bit disappointed to see that all the fish were gutted already.

“Excuse me,” I said to the man running the stall, “you wouldn’t happen to have any fish that aren’t gutted or prepared at all, would you?”

“Not today, young sir. It’s not something people normally ask for. I can certainly buy some in for you, or there’s a fishmonger closer to the docks where you might find fish before they’re processed,” the man replied jovially.

I wasn’t sure if ordering any would be wise—I couldn’t confidently say we’d be back in this area of the town, and I definitely wouldn’t be able to find my way here again.

“Thanks for the advice!” I said. “I’ll take two of your largest fish, please.”

“Absolutely,” the man said with a smile. He then pulled out two of the largest fish I had ever seen in my life. They were sleek, and their scales—no, skin? I wasn’t sure—it looked almost silver. Their fins were rigid and blade-like, and their mouths had massive teeth. I would not want to run into one of these creatures in the water. I’d lose an arm!

Also, when I asked for the two largest, I thought he’d give me the two biggest ones on display. But it seems the owner took it to heart and pulled the two largest fish he owned.

“These are called Thunar,” he explained. “The meat can be a little oily, but it’s absolutely rich in flavour. Each one costs 1 gold.” The man had a giant smile on his face.

“Hmm, well, I meant your two largest on display,” I began, watching as the man’s smile faded. “But, err, would you accept 80 silver for one?” I asked.

The look I got from Milo, who had been standing nearby, was one of shock. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was surprised. Yeah, I knew spending 80 silver on a fish was reckless and probably a waste of money, but I reasoned I’d only be here for a couple of weeks. And we’d get several meals out of this fish if I cut it up.

After a short haggle, I purchased the Thunar for 92 silver, and I stored it away.

Would you like to store [Uncommon] Adult Thunar x1 for 5 mana? Yes/No

Selecting ‘Yes’, I was happy with my choice. I also decided to purchase some of the Lake Veyran bugs I’d enjoyed at the restaurant. Surprisingly, they were much cheaper, with fifteen bugs costing only 2 silver.

Next, I stocked up on some basic vegetables: tubers, garlic grass, and a couple more lemons. Lastly, I grabbed a selection of small berries to replace the ones I’d been using in porridge. All of it cost me less than 1 silver, so I was happy with everything.

Once the shopping was completed, we made our way to the lantern shop. The clerk had been right: there was currently a man standing behind the counter. He was older-looking and very rugged. Upon entering, his eyes immediately landed on Crisplet.

“Ah, you must be the group. Hello, my name is Curtis. I’m the master crafter of most of the lanterns in this store. I received word you were after something a little different, and seeing your shoulder there, lad, I can see why,” he began before Milo even had a chance to speak. The man came from behind the counter and approached us, holding out his hand to shake ours.

“And if I’m reading the situation right here, it’s companion, not pet,” he said, emphasising the last part while giving the clerk behind the counter a pointed look, suggesting some miscommunication had occurred.

“Hello!” Milo began in a jovial tone. “You’re right, Crisplet is very much a companion and not a pet. So it’s important that it’s kept in an open space, no cages, to be clear.”

It seemed Crisplet had been following the conversation, as his flames flickered, becoming more ominous for a brief moment. I leant in, whispering to him, “I’d never let anyone put you in a cage, don’t worry. And if they try, burn them.”

The little elemental seemed mollified by that, and the flames returned to their usual bright, friendly glow.

“Oh yes, sorry about that. It was a miscommunication. But I’m glad I came down here myself to meet you,” Curtis said, not missing a beat. “We do have some metal hearths that the apprentices have made—essentially just a metal basket. However, I thought, given the nature of your companion, I could offer you something more unique.”

Milo nodded thoughtfully. “We’d certainly consider that, but we’re only in town for a week, maybe two at most. In the meantime, we’ll need something like the metal baskets, especially since the innkeeper isn’t fond of having a flame elemental around. So, what did you have in mind?”

Curtis paused for a moment, clearly deep in thought.

“Well, what I had in mind was an open-top brazier-style basket made of blackened star-iron. We could have runes on the outside to prevent heat from radiating outward, while still allowing a fire to remain contained inside. I’d attach a handle with a strap made of fire-drake leather, which should be fireproof and allow the brazier to be carried around while keeping all the heat contained—unless, of course, you will it otherwise.” Curtis rattled off his design, his enthusiasm evident. It sounded amazing, but as he listed the materials, my concern grew. I had gold, sure, but 4 gold wasn’t going to go far.

“That sounds perfect,” Milo said. “But what’s the time frame for this, and the important question—cost?”

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Curtis looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “I’d need about two weeks, maybe a little less. I’ll throw in one of the apprentice baskets as a freebie for the interim. As for cost, 5 gold should cover it.”

My heart sank. Even if I were to talk him down to the 4 gold 50 silver I had, that was all I had left.

“That sounds perfect,” Milo said, snapping me out of my thoughts. Before I knew it, he had handed over 5 gold to the man, who then passed him one of the crude-looking fire baskets made by Curtis’s apprentices.

“Wait…” I started to speak, but Milo silenced me with a wave.

They had already purchased the ring for me, and this was way too much. This was how people got into debt!

“I was hoping you could help us with something else,” Milo continued. “All your lanterns have remarkable rune work—do you do that yourself?”

“Ah, no, my wife is the Runescribe. Very talented,” Curtis replied, a slight blush on his face.

“Oh, your wife? Her work is amazing! I don’t suppose we could meet her at some point? A friend of mine is a novice Runescribe, and I’m sure he’d have a hundred questions for someone as talented as she is. We’d, of course, be happy to pay for her time,” Milo added, laying it on thick.

“Oh, absolutely! I’ll talk to her. If you like, we could leave the runes until the end and let your friend observe. She loves her craft, so I’m sure she’d be thrilled to teach the next generation!” Curtis said enthusiastically.

The moment we walked out of the store, I voiced my concerns.

“Milo, I can’t afford this! It’s too much!” I said, my voice filled with worry.

Milo chuckled a little, surprising me. “Trevor, do you forget what you have in your storage right now?”

What was he talking about? I had nothing of value—just some food and a couple of Galvonson parts.

“Do you not remember how much we sold that handful of feathers for back in Forest’s Edge?” he said, laughing.

“You have two full adult Galvonsons, Trev. A handful of feathers got us 48 silver. What do you think hundreds of them would fetch? Consider this 5 gold as an advance. Also! It’s only fair that Crisplet travels in style, you know? This will make things much easier, especially while riding a horse.”

Crisplet burst into bright sparks, clearly agreeing with him.

It wasn’t fair that he was turning Crisplet against me on the matter, but it did make sense...

“Also, Trev, I just got us a Runescribe to hopefully show you some runes in the process, which, I might add, I was expecting to cost far more than 5 gold. A Master Runescribe wouldn’t even get out of bed for that amount,” Milo said, chuckling.

I just nodded. I couldn’t argue with that.

“Alright, let’s get to this kitchen. Do you have the map with you?” Milo asked.

“Er, I have a map, yes, but not the one he marked,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

“Well, that’s not ideal. I know roughly where it is. Let’s hope Hari shows up with the actual map so we can find the exact house, or we might be stuck.” Milo laughed as he set off in a direction down the road, storing the fire basket in his storage ring.

We ended up wandering through the residential area for a while before Liane showed up out of nowhere.

“What’s taking you guys so long?” she asked, making us both jump and Crisplet shoot off some sparks.

“Well, you see, we didn’t have a map…” I said sheepishly.

Liane just laughed. “Follow me. Everyone else is already there. I hope you got some nice food; we’re all hungry. Even Jackson’s there.”

A short while later, we walked up the pathway to a large home. It had a beautifully kept garden out front, and the whole place looked well-maintained. The front featured an elegant metal gate, and as we approached the door, it swung open to reveal an elderly man who bowed deeply.

“Welcome. The kitchen is ready whenever you require,” he said, not rising from his bow until we had passed, after which he closed the door behind us. I felt awkward—I’d never had anyone bow to me before, so I wasn’t sure how to respond.

My indecision ended with me half-bowing, half-nodding, and mumbling a thank you all at once—which only set Liane off into giggles.

The man led me to two massive doors, then bowed and took his leave, closing them behind me.

I turned back to see the doors shut, then looked over at what could only be described as one of the grandest kitchens I’d seen yet. It wasn’t as large as the one at the Temple, but what it lacked in size it more than made up for in design. A massive oven was built into the wall, with runes etched along its side. A stone basin nearby glimmered faintly with a rune that seemed to keep the water inside. Beside it stood a door that resembled the cold room at the Temple.

In the centre of the room stood an island with a pristine white stone countertop—perfect for prepping ingredients. On the far wall, a rack of knives hung neatly in place, each blade gleaming with incredible quality. Through the open double doors, I spotted Hari, Jen, and Jackson seated with drinks, chatting casually.

Noticing there was no one else around, I got to work.

Deciding then and there to use some of the Thunar I’d purchased earlier. Pulling the fish from storage, I laid it across the counter. It took up the entire surface, its body hanging slightly over the edge.

Liane, not having seen the fish earlier, jumped back a little when she saw it.

“What is that?!” she asked, almost yelling.

“That’s Thunar,” I replied, gesturing to the fish. “The man said it was good, so I thought I’d cook some today.”

Liane’s yell caught the attention of the others, who all came to the door. Their faces showed the same shock I had seen in Liane’s expression.

Now that I was committed, I grabbed one of the largest knives from the wall and got to work. I wasn’t going to cook the entire fish whole, and I didn’t need all of it. I was only feeding six of us, plus maybe a bit extra.

Running the knife along the spine, following the bone down, then curved it around the ribs. I went only halfway down the fish, removing a large chunk of fillet from the bone. Storing the rest of the fish for later, left with just the large fillet. I tried to cleanly run the knife between the fillet and the skin…

Well, ”attempted” was the optimal word. After removing the six pieces of skin from the fillet, I stored them, thinking I could make a soup or stock with them later—though I wasn’t entirely sure how. Given the firm texture of the fish, I sliced it into thick, steak-like cuts. In total, I had ten generous pieces of Thunar.

By this point, everyone except Liane and Crisplet had returned to the dining room.

Next, I turned my attention to the tubers. I peeled them and cut them into smaller pieces, placing them in a pot of salted water. I set the pot near the oven, where Crisplet had comfortably made itself at home.

“Crisplet, we want to boil those until they’re soft,” I instructed, before returning to the fish. I seasoned the slices with salt and pepper.

My goal was to serve mashed tubers, seasoned with finely chopped Garlic Grass and Virfolium, topped with seared Thunar. On the side, I planned to serve a couple of wedges of lemon.

As the tubers softened, I finely chopped the herbs. I noticed that it was the last of my Virfolium, and I sliced the lemons, preparing everything for the dish.

The man who had opened the door for us earlier entered, showing me where the plates and glasses were kept.

It was going to feel strange not using the crude stone plates I was accustomed to, thanks to Milo. But it was a nice change. When Crisplet gave me a burst of sparks to indicate the tubers were ready, I approached the stove with the fish. I instructed Crisplet to achieve a nice colour on the outside of the fish without overcooking it.

After draining the water in a barrel that seemed to have no bottom—another piece of rune magic, I thought—I added the chopped herbs, salt, and butter to the tubers. Using one of the wooden spoons, I mashed everything together.

I considered using Infuse on the pot, but before I could, it felt as though Liane was reading my mind.

“Do it individually. You have mana to spare in the city when we’re not doing anything,” she advised, sitting on the countertop in the corner, out of the way.

“It costs 50 mana each if I do that, and I’m only at 480,” I replied, checking my mana.

“I’ll do half and half, I think. Five individual portions, then one big batch,” I decided.

It didn’t take long before Crisplet gave me the signal. I went over to remove the fish, stacking them together on a plate before bringing it to the counter. The first thing I did was plate up six meals, then used Infuse on five of them individually, making sure to add the lemon wedges on each plate, just in case it enhanced the flavour. I didn’t bother to infuse my own, though—I didn’t benefit from my own buff.

Next, I turned to the mashed tubers, infusing them all at once. When I moved to the plate holding the last four pieces of Thunar, I infused them, and as I did, I felt a strange heavy pressure...

“We have company...” Liane said, sliding down from her spot on the counter.